Wringer-control mechanism



APPLICATION FILED APR.30|19I8.

Patented A11 24, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

.Z'nuentor Zazzneos M? 0. B-. WO0DROW. WRINGER CONTROL MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.30| 1918.

1 850,692 Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor O'ia'LAhU zdzzness 10' 4M Y 0 v4 4126 Ju y JttYJ UNITED STATES OLIVER B. WOODROW, OF NEWTON, IOWA.

WRINGER-GONTROL MECHANISM.

Application filed April 30, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER B. WooDRow, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Newton, in the county of Jasper and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful lVringer-Control Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a wringer control mechanism of very simple and inexpensive construction.

A further object is to provide such a device adapted particularly for use with power operated swinging wringers having a reverse gear mechanism.

More particularly it is my object to provide in connection with a wringer mounted to swing around a support located at one end of the wringer and having a reverse gearing mechanism through which the wringer may be operated from a suitable source of power, a controlling lever located near the opposite end of said wringer and adapted to be adjusted so that it may be quickly and easily moved to position for convenient operation from one side or the other of the wringer as may be desired.

Still a further object is to provide such a controlling device for reverse gearing mechanism for a swinging wringer having parts which can be readily adjusted to take up or allow for any wear or the like.

Still a further object is to provide such a lever so constructed, mounted and arranged that it will not be operated or affected by any slight upward or downward pressure which might be accidentally given it through the ordinary operation of the wringer.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a wringer equipped with a controlling mechanism embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 shows an end elevation of the same, the reverse gear mechanism being shown in vertical section.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920. Serial No. 231,610.

Fig. 3 shows a detail View partly in section of part of the controlling mechanism.

Fig. 4 shows a top or plan view of the controlling lever and parts connected therewith.

Fig. 5 shows a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 shows a view of the controlling lever and parts connected therewith taken from one end of the wringer; and

Fig. 7 shows a view of the parts shown in Fig. 6.

In the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate generally a supporting bracket supporting a wringer 11, having the rolls 12 and 13 on the shafts 14 and 15, and having the washer board 16.

The bracket 10 may be provided with a portion 17 forming a journal for an upright shaft 18. j

The journal 17 may be rotatably supported on any suitable device such for instance as a sleeve 50 for the shaft 18.

Adjacent to one end of the wringer 11 is a gear casing 19 for the set of gears at the upper end of the shaft 18.

Rotatably but non-slidably mounted on the shaft 18 within the gear casing 19 are spaced opposite beveled gears 20 and 21, which mesh with a gear 21 on the shaft of the lower wringer roll.

Slidably but non-rotatably mounted on the shaft 18 between the gears and 21 is a double clutch 22 having a central annular groove 23. I

Slidably mounted in bearings {24 1s a short rod 25. Secured to the rod 25 is a clutch controlling member 26. Pivotally mounted between its ends is a bell crank lever 27 having at one end an elongated slot 28, which receives a pin at one end of the clutch member 26. Pivoted to the other end of the bell crank lever 27 is a socket 30 internally screw-threaded to receive one end of a rod 31 on which is a lock nut 32 adjacent to said socket 30.

Mounted on the end of the wringer 11, preferably opposite the-end adjacent to the gearing devices hereinbefore described, is a bracket 33, having an upwardly extending curved notched flange 34:.

Rotatably mounted in the bracket 33 is a rod or bolt 35.

Resting on the upper surface of the bracket 33 is an upwardly opening channelshaped member 36 through which the end portion of the bolt or rod 35 extends.

On the lower end or the bolt 35 is a nut 36 Between the nut 36 and the bracket 33 is a coil spring 37 for yieldingly holding the channel-shaped member 36 snugly against the bracket 33.

The member 36 is provided on its under surface with a lug 38 adapted to coact with the notches in the flange 3%.

Mounted in the walls or' the member 36 is a bolt 39 on which is pivoted one end of a controlling lever 40.

The controlling lever +0 is so arranged that it may be supported in either end of the channel-shaped member 36. as illus trated by full lines and dotted lines in Fig. 4.

The end of the rod 31 opposite the socket 30 is up-turned and extended through an opening in the member 36 at l0 as shown in Fig. 5, and may be held in position by a pin 41 or the like extended through it.

In order to explain the proper operation and the advantages of my improved device. it is desirable to state that my device is particularly adapted for use with swinging wringers of the type used on washing machines mounted on a bench and using more than one tub. It will be understood that the shaft 18 is designed to be connected with a suitable source of power. and it should be noted in this connection that I have shown a locking bolt l5 connected by suitable mechanism 4:6 with a lever t7. The locking bolt is designed for holding the swinging wringer in different positions of its swinging movement.

Such wringers are usually mounted on a post or upright located inwardly from the outer portions of the bench.

Where one end of the wringer is supported near the center or' the bench it is desirable that the controlling lever, by which the wringer is thrown into gear and its direction of rotation reversed. should be manipulated at the other end of the wringer where it will be accessible to the user. It will also be noted that the user will sometimes work near one side of the wringer putting in the clothes from that side, or taking the clothes away from that side. and sometimes near the other side of the wringer for putting in or taking away the clothes.

Where a lever like the lever 40 is provided, the lever can be swung from its position shown by full lines in Fig. l to the position shown by dotted lines in said figure, so that it will be conveniently accessible to the person working near either side of the wringer.

in Fig. 1 I have shown in section the support 50 for the wringer bracket on which said wringer is adapted to be supported and swung.

*One inconvenience sometimes suffered with controlling levers for power operated wringers arises from the fact. that the operator in working near the wringer will sometimes rise up quickly and accidentally strike the controlling lever so as to raise it ind thus move it out of the notch in which it is held, so that the wringer may be accidentally thrown into or out of gear. In my device any upward movement, which might tend to lift the end of the lever, would not in any way affect the operation of the member 36 which really forms part of the lever, and which would still remain in position with the lug 38 yieldingly held in one of the notches of the flange 34:.

Some changes may be made in the arrangement. and construction of the parts of my improved device without departing from its essential'spirit and purpose, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within the scope of my claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a support, a lever member pivoted thereon, having portions extending in opposite directions from its pivot,a lever pivotally mounted on said lever member, adapted in different positions of its pivotal movement to extend in substantially opposite directions from its pivotal point, means on said respective portions for coacting with said lever in its respective positions, whereby the movement of the lever may be caused to impart movement to said lever member, and a wringer having reversing mechanism operatively connected with said lever member.

2. In a device of the class described, a support, a lever member pivoted thereon having portions extending in opposite directions from its pivot, a lever pivotally mounted on said lever member, adapted to assume the position extended in substantially opposite directions from its pivot, means on said respective portions for coacting with said lever in its respective positions, whereby the lever may be moved when in either of its said positions for imparting j movement to said lever member.

3. In a device of the class described, a wringer, a reversing mechanism, a bell crank lever pivoted adjacent to the lower end of the wringer, one arm of the bell crank lever extending laterally and adapted to engage the reversing mechanism, the other arm of the bell crank lever extending upwardly along the wringer frame, a rod extending transversely across the wringer frame adjacent to the upper portion thereof, said rod being pivotally connected to the upper end of the bell crank lever, a bracket secured to said Wringer a member pivoted 0n 5 said bracket between its ends, a lever piv oted on said member, whereby said lever may stand in different operative positions at OLIVER B. WOODROW. 

